Monday, January 31, 2011

Monday for the Military: Meet Ronie Kendig

Although I have not had the pleasure yet of reading any of author Ronie Kendig's books, I have heard a lot of good things about them! Ronie writes Christian fiction and has had two books published in a military suspense series entitled "The Discarded Heroes" (Nightshade and Digitalis). Please give a warm welcome to Ronie Kendig!

Amber: Thank you so much for joining us today, Ronie! To start, could you share a little bit about yourself?

Ronie: Thanks so much for having me, Amber! I’m delighted to visit with y’all. About me? Well, I have been married for twenty years (yes, to the same man LOL) to my hero, an Army veteran, and we have four children, ranging in age from 17 to 11. I was born in Germany to American military parents, and experienced the typical Army brat life—including attending five schools in four years. Oy!

Amber: What inspired you to write a military suspense series?

Ronie: As you can probably guess, my upbringing. I was always around the military and had a tremendous respect for them. My husband’s father is also retired military, so I’ve just been around it pretty much my whole life. When I started reading articles about our soldiers coming home with issues, the idea took hold.

Amber: What do you admire most about the military?

Ronie: I truly believe that God places within our troops a “warrior” spirit. Just as some people are called to be pastors, some teachers, some writers (*grins*), I believe some are called to live a warrior’s life. It’s not an easy one, it’s often not fun, but it’s a part of them. They are our defenders, our front lines literally, and I have a strong awareness that because of their sacrifices, I am free and living in a free country. They’re away from their families for extended periods of time, facing things I cannot even imagine.

Amber: As an acclaimed publish author, is there anything you have learned about humility that you can share with us?

Ronie: One only needs to enter a bookstore to gain a sense of humility. =) There are thousands of authors and millions of books. God has anchored me to Himself, and when I get a little too big for my leash at times, He reels me back in. If you want to stay humble, pray and ask God to help you. I guarantee you that’s one prayer He’ll answer. =)


Amber: What’s next in your writing career?

Ronie: I have just finished the line edits on Wolfsbane, Discarded Heroes #3, and I’m already about ¼ of the way through Firethorn, book #4. I also have a novella for a collection with three other authors that will release next April, and I’ve just signed a 3-book deal with my publisher for a series on retired military war dogs and their handlers. I am extremely grateful to the Lord for letting me do what I love—write!

Amber: Wow! Congratulations on signing that contract and having so many new projects to work on! So, how can we pray for you and other authors?

Ronie: I would appreciate prayers that I ever stay humble in heart because the day I look to myself and others more than the Lord is that I am miserable and failing. Some days, this is very easy (to stay humble), and other days, I can feel the ego inflating.

Amber: Thank you again for joining us, Ronie! It's been wonderful getting to know you.

Readers, you can find out more about Ronie and her books by checking out her website HERE!

18 comments:

Katie Marie said...

I loved reading the review! I've heard a lot about Ronie and both her books, though I have not been able to get my hands on one yet! :-) The next book in the series, Wolfsbane, looks neat and has an eyecatching cover! I didn't catch anywhere in the interview...but when does this one hit the bookshelves? Sorry, i might have missed it in the interview...! :-)

Thanks for the interview, Amber and Ronie! I always love learning things from authors. I look forward to all your upcoming releases, Ronie. Oh, and congrats on the contract you just signed!! :-D

~ Katy

Julia M. Reffner said...

Wow, Ronie I didn't know you were both a military spouse and your parents were in the military. I very much appreciated your thoughts. I love what you said about the military being called to have a warrior spirit. I love this feature, Amber, as it reminds me to pray for the military, something I need to do more often.

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

Oh happy day! One of my favorite author's on one of my favorite blogs! There's no better way to celebrate the military and what they do for us than with Ronie! Her books are amaaaaaazing. Although I've only read Nightshade in this series I really love it and all the action and adventure that the hero faces. It's sometimes hard to imagine what the people who keep us safe have to deal with and even though it's fiction I think it's pretty realistic!

I can't wait to start that next series...I love puppies :-P

Great interview Amber and Ronie!

XOXO~ Renee

Amber Holcomb said...

Katy,

I'm glad you enjoyed the interview! Ronie is so sweet. I haven't read either of her books either, but she certainly has a good reputation as an author! :)

From the information on her website, it looks like Wolfsbane is due out this July, and Firethorn next January. Wolfsbane does have a great cover! :)

Thanks for stopping by, Katy!

~Amber

Joy Tamsin David said...

So nice to meet you Ronie!

I haven't had the opportunity to read any of your books yet either, but I hear such great things about them.

And Amber, I think she was the perfect guest for Monday in the Military.

Have a great week ladies!
Joy

MaryLu Tyndall said...

Thanks for the great interview, Amber, and thanks Ronie, my fellow author in crime! I say that because that tiny mention of a novella with 3 other authors, includes moi! I'm so excited to be working with you, Ronie. And I also love the military. I have a daughter graduating from the Naval Academy in May and another one who just finished boot camp in the Army! Plus my grandfather is buried in Arlington Cemetery. He died in the service.
LOVE Ronie's books! I have Digitalis on my nightstand and can't wait to get to it!!!

Bluerose said...

I'm with the others. It was great to meet Ronie and learn more about her. It's always fun to see why an author is drawn to certain subjects in their writing.
I've haven't read any of her books yet, either, but I've heard great things about them.
Ronie, my prayers are with you and all the military families out there!

Amanda Stanley said...

Great interview, ladies! Ronie, it is so very nice to meet you and get to know some interesting facts about you and your work! The covers are so cool, as are the titles. I have seen you’re books all over the place but, sadly, I haven’t read any of them yet :( Oh, but I hope to remedy that soon :) I love that your books are military based and that the inspiration is coming from your upbringing and family! And your answers to these questions really touched me, especially your prayer request. Congratulations on all your upcoming work and I pray the Lord will continue to bless you and your family :)

Amber, I love when you’re doing an interview because I know I’m gonna be blessed and find out great stuff about the person, especially authors :) This was an awesome Monday for the Military post and it only convinces me more that I need to be adding some Discarded Heroes to my TBR stack! Thank you :)

Blessings to you both!!
Amanda

P.S. - I’m gonna try to email you tonight, my friend, but if not then tomorrow, I promise! :)

Kav said...

You've done it to me again, Amber. Introduced me to a new author. I have lots of catching up to do. Just when I think I have a handle on Christian fiction I discover how far I have to go!!!!

Amber Holcomb said...

Julia,

Ronie's life is steeped in quite a military presence, isn't it? :) I'm so glad you enjoy this feature and that it inspires you to pray for our military! You are so sweet, Julia. :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Renee,

Awwwww, what a kind thing to say! :D

I haven't read any of her books yet, but it sounds like Ronie is a fantastic author! It's so wonderful that there are people who write about the struggles military men and women go through, as I think it's good for civilians to be able to understand them more and show more care.

Her new series does sound awesome, for sure!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Joy,

Sounds like you and I are on the same page. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the interview, and I'm thrilled that Ronie agreed to join us for this feature today!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

MaryLu,

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm excited for that novella! :D

And please thank your daughters for their service to our country! That is awesome!

I have a great-uncle who has a grave in Arlington Cemetery. He wasn't technically buried there because they only found a few remains from the cargo plane he had been serving on in WWII. I was honored to be able to go to the service with my daddy and some of his side of the family this past summer.

Anyway, sounds like Ronie is an author to watch! So glad you could visit today! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Bluerose,

I agree--it's always interesting to see why authors write about certain subjects. :) Thanks for stopping by, and thank you for praying for our military!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Amanda,

Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment for Ronie! :) And thank you for your kind words to me, as well--I'm so glad you feel blessed by the interviews here! I feel privileged to do them. :)

And no rush on the e-mail! I really appreciate your time, but I don't want to take too much of it. Either way, I'll plan on e-mailing you tomorrow, as well. ;)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Kav,

Hahaha, I hope that's a good thing! ;) I'm glad I could introduce you to a new Christian fiction author. :) Thank you for all the great reviews you do on your blog (as well as the awesome giveaways you had this past month)!

~Amber

Ronie Kendig said...

Wow, I am so sad I didn't get back here sooner. You gals are awesome!! Thank you all for your very kind words.

I do want to clarify--my husband had just been medically discharged (non-combat related injury--there were no "wars" happening when we got married) right before we married. So, while I grew up in a military home and around the base, I haven't been married to it.

Many, many thanks to all of you. I have a deep and abiding respect for our military heroes. I think that's in my blood as much as being warriors is in theirs.

MaryLu--you are such a gem. I've adored you since we first met. Hugs!!

Renee--thanks for cheering me on. You are awesome!

Amber Holcomb said...

Ronie,

I'm glad you were still able to stop by and see everyone's comments! You are quite popular. :)

Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to interview you and for sharing about your love for the military. And I think I understand what you mean about your respect for military men and women being in your blood. :)

God bless!

~Amber